The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus that includes a container attachment portion for supporting, in an attachable/detachable manner, a toner container having an attachment compatibility therewith, and relates to a toner container that can be attached to an image forming apparatus.
A developing device is mounted in an image forming apparatus of an electrophotographic system. The developing device stores, in its inside, developer that includes toner. The image forming apparatus includes a container attachment portion to which a toner container is attached. When the toner container is attached to the container attachment portion, the toner can be supplied from the toner container to the developing device.
There is known a conventional image forming apparatus that includes a detection mechanism configured to detect a toner container disposed at a predetermined position on the container attachment portion. The detection mechanism of the image forming apparatus includes a movable member that slides only when a predetermined toner container is inserted, in conjunction with an insertion of the toner container. This makes it possible not only to detect the toner container, but also to discriminate the toner container that matches the container attachment portion.
Meanwhile, there is known an image forming apparatus having an incompatibility structure where only a toner container having attachment compatibility can be attached to the container attachment portion, so that inappropriate toner cannot be supplied to the container attachment portion. In this type of image forming apparatus, a main-body-side compatible key that corresponds to a toner container that can be attached to a container attachment portion, is provided on the container attachment portion. On the other hand, a container-side compatible key is provided on the toner container, wherein the container-side compatible key can be engaged with only the main-body-side compatible key of the container attachment portion that corresponds to the toner container, and cannot be engaged with other container attachment portions.